By Amos Igbebe
Bribery and corruption allegations are currently rocking the Delta State Police Command as the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Usman Baba Alkali is alleged to be receiving cash gifts from suspected Fulani Herdsmen whose activities have gone berserk in host communities of the state.
In almost all the communities where their cattle are grazing, there are woeful reports alleging that women and young girls are being raped in their farmlands while men and youths who dare to confront them for destroying their crops or raping their women suffer for daring the daredevil cattle rearers. There are also reports of cattle rearers barricading highways to rob unsuspecting motorists and passengers.
Sources close to the police force told 247ureports.com that when these cattle rearers are apprehended, they allegedly induce the CP with monies through the State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID) to be given bail.
Our source said, when these Fulani herdsmen are caught with AK47 Rifles and other dangerous weapons, they go through the SCID to offer bribe and they are given unconditional bail just as our source tonguelashed the Police Commissioner over his lackadaisical attitude to the activities of the Fulani herdsmen in the state.
Further investigations revealed that notorious armed robbers who are able to bribe their way have also been allegedly freed from police custody, while their activities go wide across the state using every available opportunity they have to unleash havoc on innocent and law abiding citizens of the state.
Reports from major towns including Agbor, Asaba, Kwale, Isoko, Ughelli, Isiokolo and the Warri axis reveal that life has become unbearable for residents because of the unending activities of the bandits who they say are cultists with heavy profile personalities behind their operations in the state four months into the yuletide season.
Our source has also accused the Police Commissioner of fraternizing with politicians, alleging that he was grossly used in the last election by those in the corridors of power to rig them into offices, insisting further that Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of the state was one of those Mr. Alkali worked for during the April 11 governorship election.
He also alleged that Okowa was behind the CP’s stay back in Delta as he who would have been transferred from the state. It was revealed that the governor held him back due to the role he (CP) allegedly played during his election as governor just as our source purported that a high ranking officer was also behind the CP in Abuja thwarting every move to transfer him out of the state.
Contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Alkali, denied all allegations but confirmed the activities of fulani Herdsmen as being notorious in Kwale area of the state.
He said “How do I even come in contact with the arrested fulani man? If a Fulani man or anybody is arrested for an offence, it should be that the arrest is carried out on the road by the highway patrol. Then we have investigating unit which is the Criminal Investigative Department. So, how do I get in contact with the people to even collect money from them?
“I don’t investigate cases, I am the Commissioner of Police in charge of administration and finance. That means every police station, Area Command and every formation is under me. I don’t investigate cases, cases are investigated and brought to me, reports are written to me if they are to be taken to court, they are taken to court. If they are to be released for want of the evidence, I approve whatever the recommendation that is made base on facts in the investigation.
“So, I doubt if that would be correct but if you have any case in point, any particular reference that you want to make to or the allegation is made to wherever the arrest was made and brought to my office, then let me know. To the best of my knowledge there is no Fulani man that has been arrested and brought to my office and I ordered his release”.
On the alleged strong forces behind his non-transfer, he said, “these are not to my knowledge. All I know is that transfer is a routine thing in the police. I came from somewhere, this is my seven or eight states that I have been working since I entered the police, I have been transferred from one state to another, transfer is never somebody’s business. I think it is a routine thing in the police, so, I don’t know of anybody who is behind me in the force headquarters or who is not behind me in the force headquarters but I think transfer is a routine thing in the police service”.
On the alleged governor’s insistence that he should not be transferred, he said, “I am not in a better position to answer that allegation. I don’t know the governor has stood for me not to be transferred, I don’t know, he would be in a better position to answer that. As far as I am concerned, transfer brought me, transfer will carry me from here”.
But when contacted to clear the air, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, simply replied in a text to our correspondent that, “sorry, I can’t talk now” without first waiting to hear why our correspondent called him.
